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Which Printer
- Thread starter xtreme872
- Start date
Kentucky Wraps
Kentucky Wraps
I've had a Roland VP-540 for over 8 years with only 1 print head replaced, due to ink leak on board causing a short. It required very limited hands on maintenance. I loved it and was very close to replacing it with the Roland VG-TruVis.
After a few years of research and watching the HP Latex threads and advancements, I decided to add the HP L560.
2 different animals.
You gotta figure out what your needs are and budget. Also, PLEASE make sure you choose a company that can have quality service technicians close by if and when you need them.
equippaint
Active Member
We just got a mimaki cjv150. Pretty happy with it, it replaced an older sp300v. The rips a little touchy/clunky but just as easy as vw. There are some picky things that annoy me but im also really used to the roland and theyre going away with time.
The latex never got on my radar, alot because of the heat since we print in a really small room. I also didnt want color profiling to become a full time job. Another thing that turns me off, may be in my head, hp has totally figured out how to keep you buying parts just like the junk home printers they about give away. I just have this feeling that they just make these things to sell ink and parts and have figured out how to do it frequently.
Immediate lamination - awesome! But we immediately laminate with our solvent alot and sure you have too.
The rolands (and hope the mimaki) is a proven workhorse. You already know the ins and outs of it. It doesnt have "consumables" outside of the spit pad. When you buy parts for them its because theyre slap wore out.
The latex never got on my radar, alot because of the heat since we print in a really small room. I also didnt want color profiling to become a full time job. Another thing that turns me off, may be in my head, hp has totally figured out how to keep you buying parts just like the junk home printers they about give away. I just have this feeling that they just make these things to sell ink and parts and have figured out how to do it frequently.
Immediate lamination - awesome! But we immediately laminate with our solvent alot and sure you have too.
The rolands (and hope the mimaki) is a proven workhorse. You already know the ins and outs of it. It doesnt have "consumables" outside of the spit pad. When you buy parts for them its because theyre slap wore out.
BigfishDM
Merchant Member
Well I would say CHECK OUT LATEX before you make a decision. I sell both Mimaki and HP and Mimaki is having some really aggressive deals right now but with that being said, I would still highly recommend looking at the Latex units. You might fit a 335 quite well, I personally think you can do more with Latex then any other ink set.
FatCat
New Member
Wow, that is really strange that you would have to go through 2 heads in 2 years and replace a MS every 9 months? Hopefully you weren't being taken advantage of by a local service person? A MS should be replaced every 2 years and a head should easily go 3-5 years or longer with proper care and making sure the printer is kept clean and running. Since 2009 I've had a 1204, 1304, 1604 and now a 1624 and 1624x and never seen or needed that kind of fixing and my printers run every day at least 4-6 hours each minimum.
Now, the other thing could be that you don't print as often as you should, and solvent printers need to run to stay working. If this is the case, I would definitely look at the latex as a better alternative. I have been told they are more forgiving if they don't run as often.
This is my second mutoh no issues with first. My printers runs pretty much everyday. I am sick of mutoh as customer service it's horrible. No I put the parts in myself because there is no dealer near me. First head was put in under warranty. The last one at my expense. Th maintenance station I just ordered is replacing one put in in may and yes it was a mutoh station.
FatCat
New Member
No dealers near me either, so Ive learned all I can on how to service and fix myself. My first Mutoh was a lightly used 1204, learned the ropes on it and then bought a 1604 that someone had taken poor care of. 3 weeks of elbow grease and I resurrected the head with 80% blocked nozzles to about 5% blocked and it ran for 2 years before I finally decided to put a new head in. Then I bought a buddy's 1304 that was in bad shape - same thing, cleaned and worked on it and it ran for a year before I sold it and upgraded to a 1624 and now a 1624x. Again, my experience with Mutoh has been mostly good. I have called their tech support and they have always answered my questions and been as helpful as they can be.
I realize everyone has different situations but I really can't understand how you could be replacing a MS in less than a year. Is it clogged? Is something not moving or working properly? Maintenance stations just need to be flushed with some pure solvent once a week to keep the drain lines clear and then swap in a new wiper every 6-12 months depending on their usage. Other than that, cleanliness is key and running a solvent printer regularly and keeping up on normal maintenance is a must. If its sitting for 2-3 days at a time, or its breeding ink blobs or dust bunnies inside its going to give you trouble - and that goes for any eco solvent printer you get (Roland, Mimaki, Mutoh, etc.)
I realize everyone has different situations but I really can't understand how you could be replacing a MS in less than a year. Is it clogged? Is something not moving or working properly? Maintenance stations just need to be flushed with some pure solvent once a week to keep the drain lines clear and then swap in a new wiper every 6-12 months depending on their usage. Other than that, cleanliness is key and running a solvent printer regularly and keeping up on normal maintenance is a must. If its sitting for 2-3 days at a time, or its breeding ink blobs or dust bunnies inside its going to give you trouble - and that goes for any eco solvent printer you get (Roland, Mimaki, Mutoh, etc.)
First 1204 I had was great this one has not been. Every time I call mutoh tech support they are cocky and only want to give me a dealer number. This time I have air in lines so cap is bad but I went ahead and replaced maintenance station as well because I believe it's going as well
How would you compare the latex to solvent for everyday signage
. QUOTE="Kentucky Wraps, post: 1322669, member: 16045"]I've had a Roland VP-540 for over 8 years with only 1 print head replaced, due to ink leak on board causing a short. It required very limited hands on maintenance. I loved it and was very close to replacing it with the Roland VG-TruVis.
After a few years of research and watching the HP Latex threads and advancements, I decided to add the HP L560.
2 different animals.
You gotta figure out what your needs are and budget. Also, PLEASE make sure you choose a company that can have quality service technicians close by if and when you need them.[/QUOTE]
How
. QUOTE="Kentucky Wraps, post: 1322669, member: 16045"]I've had a Roland VP-540 for over 8 years with only 1 print head replaced, due to ink leak on board causing a short. It required very limited hands on maintenance. I loved it and was very close to replacing it with the Roland VG-TruVis.
After a few years of research and watching the HP Latex threads and advancements, I decided to add the HP L560.
2 different animals.
You gotta figure out what your needs are and budget. Also, PLEASE make sure you choose a company that can have quality service technicians close by if and when you need them.[/QUOTE]
How
rse290
New Member
We're running 2 HP L26500 printers. Been very happy with both quality and consistency.
Haven't had any real issues with either of them. Very simple maintenance, they basically take care of themselves.
Bly
New Member
On the 360s you press a button on the front panel and it profiles or linearises while you do something else so hardly a full time job.
Fares Bayazeed
New Member
Roland SP-540V VersaCAMM - Use it for the labels for our line of OEM Compatible ink - the print and cut feature is superb for custom-cut labels and stickers. We first used it to perfect our OEM Compatible Inks through extensive and long-run testing. We run nothing but Eco-Sol Inks. Lost track of the years we have had it. Tangental Blades we replace a couple of times a year. Our Roland tech keeps it clean and it just keeps on keeping on! FlexiSign Pro works great on this equipment!
Roland SolJet Pro III - For Banners - Again, had it for years with no issues. Our Roland tech walks by it every day to work on Canons and HP's that need more maintenance. Like the VersaCAMM we initially bought the printer to perfect our OEM Compatible Inks. Likes FlexiSign - prints and cuts.
HP 360 Latex - Just bought it three months ago. Seems like HP went on to their next Latex so fast many new ones go for a song now. Again, initially bought to perfect our OEM Compatible Latex Ink cartridge. Now we are testing various types of rolled media - From Wrap Media to banners, it works flawlessly. Especially impressed with prints we are doing on various fabric media. The tensioner bars work with such precision even the stretchy media can be easily adjusted and run. FlexiSign is good here as well.
All three printers are good. The Eco-Sol printers by Roland do exactly what they are supposed to do. They provide prints on many uncoated media keeping the media cost /square foot down - way down. Operate at under 10 cents / square foot on the safe and not smelly eco sol with a good OEM Compatible. With the latex, we have the color gamut that would make Michael Angelo cry with approval and we have the cost / square foot down to 12 cents / square foot so the latex ink cartridges for the HP 260 and 360 series are being met with uniform acceptance by our dealers as well.
Please don't contact me about the OEM Compatible Inks - I'm not paying to advertise here (yet).
It all really breaks down to what you are planning on printing and how much. If all you print is outdoor banners, occasional perforated window film install, POS items for a beer, food, and wine distributors, etc, etc get an eco-sol printer. If you are doing vehicle wraps, fine art prints, or just need a printer that will not take forever to get the media dry enough to deliver you may be looking at Latex (or with high volume UV Curable). Make sure you have techs close to you (or train yourself for minor installs or printhead recovery techniques) for your chosen equipment (when you pay for their travel time it is a killer).
Oh, the HP's have had higher maintenance by far over the Roland. Our techs work on Mimaki and, depending on the printer, Rolands with similar features usually require less maintenance than Mimaki.
Roland SolJet Pro III - For Banners - Again, had it for years with no issues. Our Roland tech walks by it every day to work on Canons and HP's that need more maintenance. Like the VersaCAMM we initially bought the printer to perfect our OEM Compatible Inks. Likes FlexiSign - prints and cuts.
HP 360 Latex - Just bought it three months ago. Seems like HP went on to their next Latex so fast many new ones go for a song now. Again, initially bought to perfect our OEM Compatible Latex Ink cartridge. Now we are testing various types of rolled media - From Wrap Media to banners, it works flawlessly. Especially impressed with prints we are doing on various fabric media. The tensioner bars work with such precision even the stretchy media can be easily adjusted and run. FlexiSign is good here as well.
All three printers are good. The Eco-Sol printers by Roland do exactly what they are supposed to do. They provide prints on many uncoated media keeping the media cost /square foot down - way down. Operate at under 10 cents / square foot on the safe and not smelly eco sol with a good OEM Compatible. With the latex, we have the color gamut that would make Michael Angelo cry with approval and we have the cost / square foot down to 12 cents / square foot so the latex ink cartridges for the HP 260 and 360 series are being met with uniform acceptance by our dealers as well.
Please don't contact me about the OEM Compatible Inks - I'm not paying to advertise here (yet).
It all really breaks down to what you are planning on printing and how much. If all you print is outdoor banners, occasional perforated window film install, POS items for a beer, food, and wine distributors, etc, etc get an eco-sol printer. If you are doing vehicle wraps, fine art prints, or just need a printer that will not take forever to get the media dry enough to deliver you may be looking at Latex (or with high volume UV Curable). Make sure you have techs close to you (or train yourself for minor installs or printhead recovery techniques) for your chosen equipment (when you pay for their travel time it is a killer).
Oh, the HP's have had higher maintenance by far over the Roland. Our techs work on Mimaki and, depending on the printer, Rolands with similar features usually require less maintenance than Mimaki.